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Average customer rating:

This book leaves a lot to be desired.
satisfied
Excellent textbook, unexpectedly thought-provoking
very exciting and thought provoking
Interesting and Accessible

A Gift of Fire
Sara Baase
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0130082155

Amazon.com

This book is a comprehensive look at various issues which are at the forefront of the information revolution: computers and privacy, censorship on the net, protection of intellectual property, encryption policy, computer crime, and the risks associated with unexpected computer failures. Sara Baase does a good job of balancing these controversies with various points of view, and offering perspective and solutions. Although this book is meant for academic use, it's extremely accessible.

Book Description

This book explores social, legal, philosophical, ethical, political, constitutional and economic implications of computing from a computer scientist's point of view. It covers the issues individuals face as members of a technological society and offers guidance for professionals in computer-related fields. One of the book's goals is to develop computer professionals who understand the implications of what they create and how it fits into society at large. Chapter topics cover privacy and personal information, encryption and interception of communications, freedom of speech in cyberspace, intellectual property, computer crime, computers and work, broader issues on the impact and control of computers, and professional ethics and responsibilities. For programmers and software engineers.

Customer Reviews:

This book leaves a lot to be desired........2006-03-04

This book is an incredible waste of time to read. If you must, I recommend briefly scanning the topic sentence of each paragraph. The book is tedious because Baase attempts to wring every idea possible from the subject material, whether it is significant or not. She does this because:

1. The book would only be 50 pages if all of the fluffy hand-holding were removed.

2. None of the ideas presented in the book are original or exciting, and must be trumped up with a lot of "high level" discussion. You know it well; it's the kind that only career academics would enjoy.

3. She has to dilute the terrible writing and editing that went into the book. I particularly enjoy this gem:

"A subsequent version of the product, known as Windows NT, a high-end system that incorporated networking technology and allowed users to link PCs together."

The only thing I like more than paying for common knowledge is paying for sentences that lack a predicate.

2 stars for an uninspired money-grab.

satisfied.......2005-10-13

very satisfied with this purchase. didn't take long for item to ship and looked as good as new.

Excellent textbook, unexpectedly thought-provoking.......2005-09-08

This was used as my text book for a graduate level ethics course. I read it cover to cover and found to be well-organized, informative and enlightening. Highly recommended.

very exciting and thought provoking.......2004-01-27

it's a great book to begin in-class discussions

Interesting and Accessible.......2002-08-15

Because the author's ethics class at SDSU uses this text as a primary source, I may be a bit biased in my judgment of this book. For the class, it was an excellent reference, bringing up interesting points for discussion and showcasing these points with anecdotes -- some humorous, some downright frightening. Baase's writing style is accessible to a wide audience, and even the parts that, by virtue of being part of a textbook, are dry and only mildly interesting are digestible.

If you're looking for a book that will give you a general overview of problems associated with computing, this book will hit the spot. Without any noticable bias, it provides information from different perspectives, and even gives fair treatment to Luddites.

A good, solid choice.

Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing

Average customer rating:

A Magnificent Foray
A good description of ubiquitous computing
Not interesting
Everyware is a possibility, but can we stand the reality?
I can't read this book -- in a good way

Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing
Adam Greenfield
Manufacturer: New Riders Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0321384016

Book Description

Ubiquitous computing--almost imperceptible, but everywhere around us--is rapidly becoming a reality. How will it change us? how can we shape its emergence?

Smart buildings, smart furniture, smart clothing... even smart bathtubs. networked street signs and self-describing soda cans. Gestural interfaces like those seen in Minority Report. The RFID tags now embedded in everything from credit cards to the family pet.

All of these are facets of the ubiquitous computing author Adam Greenfield calls "everyware." In a series of brief, thoughtful meditations, Greenfield explains how everyware is already reshaping our lives, transforming our understanding of the cities we live in, the communities we belong to--and the way we see ourselves.

What are people saying about the book?

"Adam Greenfield is intense, engaged, intelligent and caring. I pay attention to him. I counsel you to do the same." -- HOWARD RHEINGOLD, AUTHOR, SMART MOBS: THE NEXT SOCIAL REVOLUTION

"A gracefully written, fascinating, and deeply wise book on one of the most powerful ideas of the digital age--and the obstacles we must overcome before we can make ubiquitous computing a reality."-- STEVE SILBERMAN, EDITOR, WIRED MAGAZINE

"Adam is a visionary. he has true compassion and respect for ordinary users like me who are struggling to use and understand the new technology being thrust on us at overwhelming speed."-- REBECCA MACKINNON, BERKMAN CENTER FOR INTERNET AND SOCIETY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Customer Reviews:

A Magnificent Foray.......2006-12-20

"Everyware" is a magnificent, quixotic foray into the future. At once boldly assertive in attempting to define the evolving trend of ubiquitous computing, it's also disarmingly self-effacing as the author describes his own slowness to adopt, and doubts about, the same technology. As an attempt to thoroughly survey the elusive, ever-evolving world of ubiquitous computing, it is a tour de force.

The text is an impressive series of 81 precise "theses" that describe "the dawning age of ubiquitous computing". Each thesis explores, through historical antecedent and incisive contemporaneous analysis, one aspect of the arriving "ubicomp" paradigm which he terms "everyware."

Author Adam Greenfield seems to have presaged nearly all useful comment on the nature and near future direction of ubiquitous computing. Compared to this work, even such transformative declarations as the Cluetrain Manifesto come across as merely sophomoric, though sincere drumbeats.

Greenfield is a facile conceptualist, comfortable with traditional academic discipline yet easily capable of creating significant buzz with an avant garde writing style molded through constant travel and communication with moblogging ubicomp fanatics from Tokyo to Stockholm. A thought leader, and certainly not a follower, he's always eager to cross swords with iconic figures of the new media establishment, or to ally with them.

Greenfield's style is to trace geodesic descriptive arcs around the ever-evolving space of this subject. In his view, "Everyware" is driven in parts by historical dialectic, cultural evolution, technological invention and entrepreneurial testosterone. In each thesis we are tantalized and left wanting more. Many of Greenfield's theses could easily - and should be - developed into full volumes on their own.

The text frequently and informally refers to events, people, objects and technologies both present and past that support or amplify the author's points, bespeaking extensive research and correspondence. Despite this thoroughness, the book lacks citations and bibliography, perhaps in an effort to make the content seem less weighty and more of a visionary discussion.

Predictive today, this book may become increasingly relevant as its grand vision becomes reality. It may be that an historical perspective will be needed to fully appreciate this contribution. Its meaning and value will be different in "middle age" (say 4 years from now) when Greenfield's many predictions can be evaluated against coetaneous events. The final test will be well down the line when the influence of "Everyware" as manifesto can be seen in historical context.

One of the most endearing aspects of Greenfield's style is his own self-effacing, fundamentally human take on subjects large and small. He writes as the daring internationalist conceptual thinker he is, but never loses sight of his own humanity. He often makes an arching, bitingly tight commentary, which is immediately leavened gently by a genuine and warm personal perspective.

Greefield's personal style infuses the work and subtly develops what may be the most important message of the entire work: the urgent need to preserve humanity and user-centricity in the component development of this overwhelmingly complex and centerless computing system, one that may someday control the electronic infrastructure of the 21st century world.

Despite my enthusiasm for it, there IS a serious problem with "Everyware." The great flaw of this book is lack of a central theme. Despite skillful seques from one thesis ending into the next, the book remains a series of essays whose essential points interconnect, leaving the reader with the task of finding the larger common denominator. It's as if the author were describing each brilliant facet of a diamond, without ever describing the gem itself. It may be possible to describe a whole through the intimate dissection of its parts, but it's hard on a reader. I'd prefer reading the same material structured as a series of proofs supporting a central theme. With such backbone, it would be far easier to learn, test and evaluate the theses.

A less important though still serious shortcoming is the author's exclusive reliance on (sometimes overwhelmingly complex) text. Reading "Everyware" is not for the faint of heart, as its concepts do not enter one's consciousness easily. Despite a clear attempt to write simply, Greenfield's style is inherently complex and he often writes with a fairly high "Fog Index." As a result the reader must pay close attention, but the result in stimulation and knowledge is well worth the effort.

Visual learners will find the book difficult going. Despite numerous footnotes, there is not a single illustration or diagram in the work, nor are there more than a few URL references. For an author and design critic who celebrates beauty in his core (see Greenfield's v-2.org), this is a curious, and galling omission. The theses are replete with references to objects and sites we never see, thus forcing the reader to conjure understanding through the exercise of imagination. I found this highly distracting and made it more difficult to read the work.

Such heavy reliance on text works to exclude visually oriented people, many of whom may be involved in the design of ubicomp hardware and software, and who need to get the message. It also seems odd that Greenfield, until recently a practicing information architect, did not at publication prepare a companion "Everyware" website through which readers could see and experience the scores of supportive examples he provides in support of his theses.

To be fair, it may be that Greenfield (and/or his publisher) did not want to commit resources to the visual description of a subject likely to change within months, preferring to aim at more universal points that might survive the roiling rate of evolution in the field. Time and expense may have been an issue for this first time effort (obtaining reproduction rights and creating original artwork can take much time and money).

Having said that, it seems curiously unforgivable that a book that rides the edge of thought about a potentially significant evolution in human thought and technology should be so lacking in employment of that same technology. It seems incomprehensible that the content was not produced and marketed with equally avant-garde methods such as viral marketing, print on demand production that allows frequent updates, e-book or PDF format (with live links) and website support.

Perhaps time was a factor. The book does seem rushed and breathless, as if it were composed in tense moments of brilliance at a Starbucks, or while infused with ideas after a conference. This tone, taken with the exclusion of graphical elements, makes it seem like the author wanted to be the first on the block to announce "everyware'" and to be credited with coinage of the term. Whether this perception is true or not, it does lead to the conclusion that "Everyware" is a well-crafted effort, but one in dire need of a more thoughtfully considered, better-budgeted, and website-supported second edition.

On the other hand, conceptual density and complex sentence structure seem necessary for Greenfield. His mind works so fast and at such a complex level that he literally needs an explosive, quick way to get the ideas out. I hope that in a subsequent edition, the assistance of more patient and less driven editors would enhance and expand the audience for this importantly predictive and analytical work. A richly graphic approach to the next version would further expand the audience for these important ideas.

In deference to both the reader and the essence of ubicomp, perhaps a future edition can be packaged with (or be)a flash device with a web server embedded in it, containing the text and a full library of reference visuals, diagrams and videos that expand and amplify the concept in the book. By using such a device the reader can be plugged into the meaning of "Everyware" not only informationally but experientially.

"Everyware" rates a B PLUS. B for brilliant because Greenfield truly is, and PLUS for being a superb beginning but not (yet) a home run.

As a final note, I feel sure that "Everyware" is not the last word coming from Adam Greenfield on the subject of ubiquitous computing. An emerging movement couldn't have a more passionate, persuasive and skillful evangelist, nor one whose own humanity and affinity for others helps soften the fear of the unknown, and can help convert resistance to change into open-eyed anticipation.

A good description of ubiquitous computing.......2006-12-13

Ubiquitous computing can mean different things to different people, especially without a concise yet comprehensive description. The book contains a series of statements which I feel helps to define or characterize what ubiquitous computing is about and some of its unique features. I found the book helpful in explaining ideas at a non-technical level without being too abstract. Lastly, "everyware" is a really good word that I think does capture the idea of ubiquitous computing well. Instead of people going to the computer to get things done, the computer has come out to where things are done.

Not interesting.......2006-11-02

It's just a series of repetitive dissertations that reinforce the point that ubiquitous computing will exist in the future. If you know that already, this is nothing new or interesting.

Everyware is a possibility, but can we stand the reality?.......2006-06-05

The term everyware is defined as the ability to access significant computing power from any location, and does not necessarily mean that computer chips are embedded in everything. Hence the contraction from "everywhere software." While chips may not be embedded in everything, that scenario is certainly possible in the near future, as only two preconditions are necessary.

*) Each tag must be uniquely identifiable. This is currently being enacted, Internet Protocol Version 6 has an address space that would allow every grain of sand on Earth to have multiple, unique addresses.
*) The cost of the embedded chips must drop, the figure most commonly cited is less than five cents.

While the first condition is already being implemented, everyone following the history of computing knows that the second is only a matter of time. Most industry watchers believe that this basic threshold will be reached no later than 2008.
Therefore, there are no significant technological barriers to the implementation of everyware. The question then becomes, "Do we as a society want it?" Certainly, we want the convenience that everyware provides. By monitoring the state of health of our bodies, houses and vehicles, our comfort and safety levels will rise. However, there is an enormous downside to this as well. With the advent of everyware, personal privacy will be even more a thing of the past. It will be possible to know the location of a person at all times, both physically and in cyberspace, the people they are with, what they are doing and what they have purchased. It is also clear that divorce lawyers will try to obtain records of the locations of people in order to try to prove that the opposing spouse is guilty of some form of malfeasance. It will no longer be necessary for spies to hide in vehicles and behind bushes.
This book examines both the positive and negative sides of these issues and summarizes the consequences of what will clearly be a revolution. The laws regarding the use of personal data will have to be substantially rewritten to handle these issues, as the gains of everyware will be too strong to prevent the implementation. I cite as evidence the widespread use of cell phones and other mobile devices. Marketing people would find it easy to identify a customer at a purchase point such as a gas station by the number of their credit card. Once you are identified, the screen on the pump would then display items you are known to favor. The same thing can be done in stores, if you are identified when you walk by or in the store, a sales pitch targeted specifically to you would appear.
The recent disclosure that the American Government is monitoring phone calls points out the potential for good and bad uses for data. Guilt by association is not guilt by fact, yet it easy to see how zealous law enforcement could arrive at the former. Everyware would make that conclusion very easy.
I will be teaching a course in the fundamentals of computing in the fall of 2006. After reading this book, I added it to my required list and will be using it as a secondary text this fall.

I can't read this book -- in a good way.......2006-04-26

Seriously, I just can't seem to keep reading it because I have to stop and think. And think. And daydream. And read a passage over again, and dream a little more. Ever read a book that gets you so excited you have to put it down just to shake off the energy that builds inside you? Well, this one does it for me.

Greenfield is not just able to capture a vision for a world ahead with ubiquitous computing, but to explain in a completely non-jargon, tangible, virtually poetic way.

I think the world really needed a book like this -- to establish a way of thinking about a new, invisible digital age that doesn't get lost amidst big-brother paranoia, or overly-detailed technical specs. Let's face it -- we don't know how it's all going to work together, how we'll get to a world of everware. But it's quite clear we will, and Greenfield spells out the promise and the issues with elegance and clarity.

I had bought it awhile back from Amazon, and it sat there in my orders list (I'd actually never preordered before), finally to arrive and exceed every possible expectation. It's really quite magical.

Too bad it's not hardcover, I'll beat this book to a pulp carrying it everywhere with me, tasting the delicious ideas little by little. I'll carry with me until at least half of the vision comes true.

Average customer rating:

Terrific ethics text for non-IT managers and decision-makers

Computers and Ethics in the Cyberage
D. Micah Hester , and Paul J. Ford
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Terrific ethics text for non-IT managers and decision-makers.......2000-10-20

I teach a graduate class in Information Technology in the Public Sector, in the M.S. in Public Administration program at a major university in southern California. I selected this text for my class because I found it to be an excellent, wide-ranging and deep exploration of a host of ethical issues dealing with information technology for non-computer majors. While not every article was directly relevant to my class (which is made up of current and future managers of public sector organizations), the book is easy to read and has a "friendly" style that draws you into the articles. Some articles are only a few pages while others are quite long. This text has been very appreciated by my students and the articles in it have been the source of many in-class discussions and debates. Overall: Outstanding!

Ethics for the Information Age (2nd Edition)

Average customer rating:

Very good; not perfect
What are the Ethics of Slanted Writing in an Ethics Book?
It covers the IEEE, ACM recommendations for an ethics course

Ethics for the Information Age (2nd Edition)
Michael J. Quinn
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0321375262

Book Description

This book provides modern coverage of the ethics that surround information technology. It offers readers a timely, balanced, and impartial treatment of computer ethics. It introduces ethical theories early and uses them throughout the book to evaluate moral problems related to information technology. Earlier chapters focus on issues concerned with the individual computer user including, email, spam, intellectual property, open source movement, free speech, and Web censorship. Later chapters focus on issues with greater impact on society as a whole such as privacy, computer and network security, and computer error. The final chapter discusses professionalism and the Software Engineering Code of Ethics. All users of technology who are concerned with understanding the legal, moral, and ethical decisions surrounding that technology.

Customer Reviews:

Very good; not perfect.......2005-08-12

Quinn's textbook comes off "very good" in a crowded field of competitors. It is broad in its scope, and very up to date in the issues that it raises.

The book is not without its flaws: as a philosophy professor, I would have hoped for a clearer discussion of ethical theory and a less mechanical application of those theories to the issues, but these parts of the book are small and can easily be supplemented by outside readings. I also deal with the subjects in a very different order from the book, beginning with the issues of reliability and security that will most concern our CS majors. (Spam is nasty, but it doesn't seem like the best place to start. I doubt that many of our majors will be headed in that direction as professionals.)

Of course even a perfect book could not guarantee that students will learn from it-- Learning is also the responsibility of the student. Students of science or engineering who treat this as if it were a science or math text may well come to the conclusion of one reviewer below that its conclusions often seem "obvious"-- but it is a method that is being taught, and not just the answers. Who knows what the big questions will be ten years from now in such a rapidly changing field? That is one reason why the author's first, historical chapter is such a valuable inclusion and should not be overlooked. Students too often take the status quo for granted, and do not realize how much has changed to get us here, and how quickly it has happened. Few such texts deal with this important material, and Quinn does a good job with it.

As to alleged bias in the text, that is just nonsense. If you are convinced that J. Edgar Hoover never authorized an illegal wiretap, or that the Patriot Act is uncontroversial, then some of the questions Quinn raises may make you feel uncomfortable. But that is exactly what a good ethics text should do: provoke thought and discussion.

I recommend this book as a course text that touches on all of the (currently) key areas of social concern in the CS curriculum in an engaging way. I also hope for an improved second edition that will do the job even better.

What are the Ethics of Slanted Writing in an Ethics Book?.......2004-12-21

This book is one of the two texts in FSU's COP 3502: "Introduction to Computer Science" course (a required course in their Computer Science degree). It's mostly a waste of time. The first two chapters are of some use because they provide a brief history of computers and a quick introduction to the ethical theories one can use to resolve ethical dilemmas. Unfortunately, chapters 3 through 6 (inclusive) are worthless. They consist of about 190 pages of figuring out why certain obviously wrong activities are wrong (things like sending spam, producing pornography, stealing intellectual property, violating privacy, stealing identities, producing viruses, etc.). The last three chapters might have some merit, though. They cover some of the more general ethical consideration of working in the computer science field. Unfortunately, I stopped reading when the author started bringing up false POLITICAL references.

In general, most of the examples of ethical situations in these chapters are non-computer-related. Since the author specifically talks about this book being an ethics course as adhering to the IEEE's and ACM's "Computing Curricula 2001" standard, its examples ought to be drawn from the Information Systems world. My biggest gripe with these chapters is the obvious political slant of the author. He's constantly slipping his world-view based assumptions into the text as absolute-truth. I wonder what the ethics is of implying to students that certain things are true when, at best, they're controversial, and at worst, false?

I truthfully feel sorry for the poor students in FSU's Computer Science degree program who are stuck going through a course with this book and a (most probably) similarly slanted professor.

I give it 1 Star out of 5.

It covers the IEEE, ACM recommendations for an ethics course.......2004-10-03

In 2001, a joint committee of the IEEE computer society and the Association for Computing Machinery recommended that every undergraduate computer science degree incorporate 40 hours in the social issues of computing. The report also contains a model syllabus for "CS280, Social and Professional Issues." This book is designed to cover all of the major topics in that outline, and that goal has been achieved. There is also enough additional material and chapter independence so that all adopters will have the flexibility to do it their own way.
The book is split into nine chapters:

*) Catalysts for change.
*) Introduction to ethics.
*) Networking.
*) Intellectual property.
*) Privacy.
*) Computer and network security.
*) Computer reliability.
*) Work and wealth.
*) Professional ethics.

While the coverage is fairly complete, the technical level never rises beyond that which one would expect the experienced computer science student to be able to handle. In my opinion, most computer science students, and quite likely instructors as well, will find the second chapter to be the most difficult to understand. The topics are:

*) Subjective relativism.
*) Cultural relativism.
*) Divine command theory.
*) Kantianism.
*) Act utilitarianism.
*) Rule utilitarianism.
*) Social contract theory.

The author delves fairly deeply into these areas, but since they are the necessary preconditions to understand ethical dilemmas, I do not object to it. However, it is a point that needs to be made in this review. I took two courses in philosophy/ethics as an undergraduate and I found myself going slowly through the chapter. A large number of questions and in-class exercises are given at the end of each chapter.
However, there is one area where the author really fumbled the ball, demonstrating a lack of historical knowledge. On page 335 in the Work and Wealth chapter, there is the statement:

" It also appears modern Americans work harder than the ancient Greeks, Romans or Western Europeans of the Middle Ages. `The lives of ordinary people in the Middle Ages or Ancient Greece and Rome may not have been easy, or even pleasant, but they certainly were leisurely. [9]' In the mid-fourth century the Roman Empire had 175 public festival days. In medieval England holidays added up to four months a year; in Spain, five months; in France, six months.[9]"

A reference is given to justify these statements, but it is most certainly wrong. While I don't dispute that there were many public holidays in ancient Greece and Rome, they were for citizens only, which was a small percentage of the population. The majority of people were slaves, who did the bulk of the labor in those societies and their labor is what made the circuses possible. Nothing really changed in the Middle Ages, the only difference was that the laboring population were called serfs.
Anyone who tries to make the point that people work harder now than in the past should reread the history of the industrial revolution. At that time, most industrial workers put in ten to fourteen hours a day seven days a week, with almost no days off. The managers of industry also readily admitted that the work environment was structured so that the workers were required to move as fast as possible. Working conditions were so difficult and physically demanding that many people were permanently disfigured after a few years on the job.
Despite this reservation, I recommend the book and plan on using it as a text if my proposal for a course in computer ethics is approved.

Average customer rating:

Excellent articles all computer professionals should read.
Information technology in a global society

Computers, Ethics, and Society

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195143027

Book Description

As computers have become increasingly important in our everyday lives, their potential to strip away our privacy and autonomy increases exponentially. This book offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary set of readings on the ethical and social implications of computer technology. Taking into account technical, social, and philosophical issues, the contributors consider topics such as the work-related ramifications of automation, the ethical obligations of computer specialists, and the threats to privacy that come with increased computerization.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent articles all computer professionals should read........2007-06-19

This book has many of the classic articles about computers and our society. The GNU Manifesto is included. There is an excellent article about whistle-blowing. I read this text many years ago in my Computer Ethics course. I really enjoyed the class and this book.

Information technology in a global society.......2000-04-06

As a teacher of a course entitled "Information technology in a global society" i have found this book an excellent resource for both myself and my students alike. It's simple enough for an entry level reader (I have had kids as young as 11 discussing the ethical considerations presented in the book). While on the other hand it contains enough specifics and case studies to make it a suitable source for high school students preparing papers on a variety of topical issues.

What I love is that you can pick up the book and find the relavant information your looking for without having to read the whole book.

Cyberethics: Social & Moral Issues in the Computer Age (Contemporary Issues (Prometheus))

Average customer rating:

Nearly completely worthless
Examines new moral issues

Cyberethics: Social & Moral Issues in the Computer Age (Contemporary Issues (Prometheus))

Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Nearly completely worthless.......2004-12-21

This text must be one of the worst books on ethics I've ever seen. The authors start with a basic assumption that information technology changes ethical issues and never examine this fundamentally flawed belief. The essays are extreme and manage to make their own points sound rediculous even when they are reasonable.
There are errors in their references and their interpretation and use of other texts.
This book is painful to read.

Examines new moral issues.......2001-02-22

The transformation of society brought about by computers has brought with it new moral dilemmas, from the impact of computers on privacy and copyright issues to the involvement of computers in personal lives. Cyberethics offers the reader 26 essays examining these new moral issues and provide thoughtfully reasoned answers to ethical questions.

Free Software, Free Society: Selected Essays of Richard M. Stallman

Average customer rating:

Essential Reading for any Intelligent Adult Favoring Social Progress
Nice Explanations

Free Software, Free Society: Selected Essays of Richard M. Stallman
Richard M. Stallman , and Lawrence Lessig
Manufacturer: Free Software Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Cathedral & the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary
Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software
The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World
Free Culture: The Nature and Future of Creativity
Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution (O'Reilly Open Source)

ASIN: 1882114981

Book Description

The intersection of ethics, law, business and computer software is the subject of these essays and speeches by MacArthur Foundation Grant winner, Richard M. Stallman. This collection includes historical writings such as The GNU Manifesto, which defined and launched the activist Free Software Movement, along with new writings on hot topics in copyright, patent law, and the controversial issue of "trusted computing." Stallman takes a critical look at common abuses of copyright law and patents when applied to computer software programs, and how these abuses damage our entire society and remove our existing freedoms. He also discusses the social aspects of software and how free software can create community and social justice.

Given the current turmoil in copyright and patent laws, including the DMCA and proposed CBDTPA, these essays are more relevant than ever. Stallman tackles head-on the essential issues driving the current changes in copyright law. He argues that for creativity to flourish, software must be free of inappropriate and overly-broad legal constraints. Over the past twenty years his arguments and actions have changed the course of software history; this new book is sure to impact the future of software and legal policies in the years to come.

Lawrence Lessig, the author of two well-known books on similar topics, writes the introduction. He is a noted legal expert on copyright law and a Stanford Law School professor.

Customer Reviews:

Essential Reading for any Intelligent Adult Favoring Social Progress.......2006-07-22

I bought this book at Hackers on Planet Earth 6, and then after reading it in the morning, had the double benefit of hearing the author as keynote speaker in the afternoon. He is everything the book's contents suggest, and more. The author is one of the original MIT hackers (pick up a used copy of Shirley Turkle's "My Second Self, Computers and the Human Spirit" and/or Steven Levy's "Hacker's" which the author himself recommends.

The author's brilliant bottom line is quite clear throughout the book: software copyright prevents people from improving or sharing the foundation for progress in the digital era.

The author's social-technical innovation, which appears now to be acquiring tsunami force around the world, and is manifested in the Free/Open Source Software (F/OSS) movement that is being nurtured by governments worldwide from Brazil to China to Israel to the United Kingdom to Norway, is to modify copyright to a term he credits to another, copyleft, meaning that copyright in the new definition grants ALL permissions EXCEPT the permission to RESTRICT the enhancement and sharing of the software.

The author is also very careful to define the term free as meaning freedom of movement and growth, not free of price. GNU, his invention, removes computational obstacles to competition, and levels the playing field for more important innovations. In his view, the core issue is not about price, but about eliminating restrictions to freedom of sharing and enhancement.

On page 37 he sums up his life's purpose: "Proprietary and secret software is the moral equivalent of runners having a fist fight (during the race)" -- they all lose.

The author carefully distinguishes between the free and open source software, citing the first as a movement with values, the second as a process.

His candidacy for a Nobel Prize is captured in the sentence on page 61, "Free software contributes to human knowledge, non-free software does not."

Across the book, a collection of essays put into a very well ordered (not necessarily chronological) form, this book is a history of GNU (not UNIX) by its creator and co-founder of the Free Software Foundation. It is replete with concise useful discussions of terms, conditions, and cultures relevant to the future of mankind as a thinking forward looking species.

Section two, on copyright, copyleft, and patents is very helpful, and likely to become a standard in the field as the public fires elected representatives who sell out to Mickey Mouse copyright extenders, and demands a return to the original Constitutional limitation of copyright as an artifact of government, not a natural right, focused on nurturing knowledge. It means mention that Lawrence Lessig (see my reviews of his books) writes the introduction--the two authors together, along with Cass Sunstein, may be the most important trio of thinkers with respect to the future of man in the context of science, copyright, risk, and software as a human global contributor to sanity.

The author's keynote address at HOPE 6 is discussed toward the end of the book, where he lists the Four Freedoms:

Freedom 0: Run a program as you wish, for any purpose you wish, not limited to any narrowly defined application.

Freedom 1: Help yourself by improving the program (which requires access to source code).

Freedom 2: Help your neighbor by sharing a copy of the program with them.

Freedom 3: Help community by sharing the improved copy at large.

There is no question in my mind but that this manifesto of a single man's life's work is as important as Tom Paine's Common Sense treatises. There is a war now emergent between the classes (US elites bribing foreign elites, both screwing their publics over for private gain), and between corporations and the people, corporations long having abused the independent legal personality that was granted to promote business, and ended up being a legal barrier to holding corporate managers accountable for grand theft and social irresponsibility.

Toward the end the author offers thoughtful suggestions on how to "drop out" of the proprietary software world, and his thinking resonates with "No Logo" and its recommendations on selective purchasing.

This book is not a technical book although it offers up many understandable insights to technical matters underlying the social philosophy of the author. It is not a legal book either, but offers important informed commentary vital to getting the law focused again on human progress. Finally, in no way does the book dismiss the importance of capitalism--the author clearly states that it is entirely appropriate to charge a fee for one's contributions--this is about the "how" not the "how much.

Absolutely superb collection of essays, extremely important to where we go in the future. The author is not only an original hacker, he represents hacking as it should be understood by the authorities (see my review of Bruce Sterling, Hackers at the Edge of the Electronic Frontier), and as I see them--as people who have the "right stuff" and are testing the edge, pushing the frontier. In a world of drones, these are the libertarian spirits that may well keep us out of perpetual prison.

For reference: DARPA's STRONG ANGEL program, empowered now by DoD Directive 3000.cc. specifically seeks to create a suite of collaborative sharing and analytic tools that can be provided free to any non-governmental organization and any state and local government. Support costs have to be shared. It is now understood at the highest levels of the US military that we cannot make peace without sharing all information in all languages all the time (my third book), and this is progress.

Nice Explanations.......2002-11-06

The editor wrote a short forward explaining all the computer concepts the reader will need in order to understand the book. In addition, there are footnotes throughout the book explaining obscure people and computer terms. This way even a sociology major like myself can understand everything.

Stallman talks about important issues that are currently being played out in Washington DC. This book is a great way to help make sense of it all.

Ethics and Technology: Ethical Issues in an Age of Information and Communication Technology

Average customer rating:

More academic than I'm used to, but solid information...
A really interesting little-ish book

Ethics and Technology: Ethical Issues in an Age of Information and Communication Technology
Herman T. Tavani
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Readings in CyberEthics, Second Edition
Computers and Ethics in the Cyberage
Case Studies in Information Technology Ethics (2nd Edition)
Principles of Computer Organization and Assembly Language
Technology and the Future

Accessories:

Object-Oriented Design and Patterns
Thinking Recursively with Java

ASIN: 0471998036

Book Description

"Herman Tavani has written an excellent introduction to the field of cyberethics. . . . We need a good book in cyberethics to deal with the present and prepare us for an uncertain future. Tavani's Ethics and Technology is such a book."
--from the foreword by James Moor, Dartmouth College

Is there privacy in a world of camera phones and wireless networking?
Does technology threaten your civil liberties?
How will bioinformatics and nanotechnology affect us?
Should you worry about equity and access in a globalized economy?

From privacy and security to free speech and intellectual property to globalization and outsourcing, the issues and controversies of the information age are serious, complex, and pervasive.

In this new edition of his groundbreaking book, Herman Tavani introduces computer professionals to the emerging field of Cyberethics, the interdisciplinary field of study that addresses these new ethical issues from all perspectives: technical, social, and philosophical. Using fascinating real-world examples--including the latest court decisions in such cases as Verizon v. RIAA, MGM v. Grokster, Google versus the Bush Administration, and the Children's Online Pornography Act (CIPA) --as well as hypothetical scenarios, he shows you how to understand and analyze the practical, moral, and legal issues that impact your work and your life. Tavani discusses such cutting-edge areas as:
* Globalization and outsourcing
* Property rights and open source software
* HIPAA (privacy laws) and surveillance
* The Patriot Act and civil liberties
* Bioinformatics and genomics research
* Converging technologies--pervasive computing and nanocomputing
* Children's online pornography laws

Updating and expanding upon the previous edition, Ethics and Technology, Second Edition provides a much-needed ethical compass to help computer and non-computer professionals alike navigate the challenging waters of cyberspace.

About the Author

Herman T. Tavani is Professor of Philosophy at Rivier College and Co-Director of the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology (INSEIT). He is the author, editor, or co-editor of five books on ethical aspects of information technology.

www.wiley.com/college/tavani

Customer Reviews:

More academic than I'm used to, but solid information..........2006-12-10

It seems that every time you turn around, there's some news story in the industry press about the ethics or legality of some aspect of technology. To help myself understand some of the underlying issues a bit better, I decided to read and review Ethics & Technology: Ethical Issues in an Age of Information and Communication Technology (2nd Edition) by Herman T. Tavani. While not the easiest or most riveting read, I did come away with a better appreciation for the field of ethics.

Contents: Introduction To Cyberethics - Concepts, Perspectives, and Methodological Frameworks; Ethical Concepts and Ethical Theories - Establishing and Justifying a Moral System; Critical Thinking Skills and Logical Arguments - Tools for Evaluating Cyberethics Issues; Professional Ethics, Codes of Conducts, and Moral Responsibility; Privacy and Cyberspace; Security in Cyberspace; Cybercrime and Cyberrelated Crimes; Intellectual Property Disputes in Cyberspace; Regulating Commerce and Speech in Cyberspace; Social Inclusion, The Digital Divide, and the Transformation of Work - The Impact for Class, Race, and Gender; Community and Identity in Cyberspace - Ethical Aspects of Virtual-Reality and Artificial-Intelligence Technologies; Pervasive Computing and Converging Technologies - Ethical Aspects of Ambient Intelligence, Bioinformatics, and Nanocomputing; Glossary; Index

Having never taken a class on ethics or critical thinking, I found the first three chapters interesting. Tavani builds the foundation of how to define and describe cyberethics, as well as how to determine and argue the case of what is "moral". These chapters are a concise course on how to build an argument and support it properly. After those three chapters are done, the concepts that were built are used to examine many different facets of computers and life, and how ethics come into play and shape how we think. There are the subjects you'd expect, like digital rights and security. But he also covers issues that I don't normally think of when dwelling on computers and ethics... gender, socioeconomic classes, race. First you have to determine if indeed those things are ethical issues, and if so, what responsibility do you have in those areas.

On one hand, the book is thorough and detailed. It's meant to be a textbook on the subject, and as such it delivers. These are the types of academic discussions and debates that you'd expect in a formal setting. I was somewhat disappointed, however, when it came to conclusions. Both sides of each issue were debated (even when I didn't even think there *was* another side), but resolution was elusive. I suppose I'm supposed to take this information and draw my own conclusions, but instead I came away with "so everything's right *and* wrong". Since I tend to want to get down to practical issues rather than deal with abstracts, I found it hard to come to any resolution at the end of each chapter.

Definitely good material, and worth reading. But it will make you work and think.

A really interesting little-ish book.......2003-12-20

This book was on the prescribed text list for the masters I am doing (Master of Informaiton Technology) and I must say I was pleasantly surprised to read it. Being a technical (engineer) person, it's a generalized opinion that this group (enclave?) we like mathematics, science and engineering books, but not so called 'arty farty' stuff like philosophy. Speaking for me personally, isn't far from the truth...So I thought...groan, not another one of these idealistic, pointless, ultimately altruistic and futile failures to read. Indeed not! I actually enjoyed reading it! (shock-horror). Tavani uses the ploy of relating his ideas to real-life situations (stalking, cracking, etc). This lends the book a serious air of legitimacy. The ivory tower is nowehere in sight. He doesn't lecture at you like you're a poor, misguided computer geek who could never possibly understand human morals and ethics in a digital world (the point is to help you do that...which Tavani does).

Back to the point: the book builds form the point of view that you have never been exposed to ethics. You get a grounding in ethical theories and then move on to learning how to evaluate ethical issues (kind like logic in mathematics without the symbols). He talks about codes of practice and your moral responsibility as a somebody who works, creates or manages a little corner of cyberspace. It is at this point that the book leaps forward into relevant (if somewhat shallow treatment) of the major issues ike privacy, piracy, crime, security,freedom of speech and equity. These are also posited through scenarios and then the ethics involved are developed through direct discussion of these scenarios. And as I alluded to previously, these give the book an excellent 'hook'. They make the theory real and relevant and rather interesting (and sometimes tragic: you'll see what I mean when you read the first scenario involving a teenage girl stalked thorugh the net and ultimately murdered in realty).

This is a provocative book, but in a subdued, subtle way. The author doesn't speed feed you heaped spoonsfuls of moral outrage with lashings of indignant pontification, just ideas (and these are ever so valuable) in a considered manner. I think the author has really succeeded here. If he can make a totally 'technical' person like me actually enthusiastic about reading it, then that's truly indicative of the book's quality.

The price may be a little high for what is a pretty thin book in a physical sense. Ideaswise it is quite rich, so that's the price you pay (it this ethical? ideas are only available to those who can affort it!) That aside, I got a lot from this little book and so consider it money well spent.

All in all a good 'starting' book for cyberethics! Thumbs up! However consider you may find yourself supplementing it with other braoder, deeper works as you progress because it is a rich field to learn in. Tavani will open this vista up for you if you approch this book with a willingness to put aside your prejudices and listen to what he has to say.

Ethical and Social Issues in the Information Age

Average customer rating:

A myriad of topics each discussed briefly

Ethical and Social Issues in the Information Age
Joseph M. Kizza
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 038795421X

Book Description

Rapid advances in computing and information science often outpace society's ability to adapt its moral and legal codes. Different computing paradigms applied to the same ethical issues can often lead to conflicting confusions. This second edition examines ethical, social, and policy challenges stemming from the emergence of cyberspace, the convergence of telecommunications, and other information handling products. The book broadly surveys thought-provoking questions about the impact of these new technologies, with particular emphasis on the growth of the Internet, artificial intelligence, cyberspace, and virtual reality. Topics and features: * Describes how changes in information technology influence morality and the law. * Surveys the history of computing and the recent evolution of computer crimes * Incorporates recent requirements for computer science curricula * Assess workplace concerns related to privacy, surveillance, and virtual offices * Contains numerous discussion and research projects on all presented material * Considers what should be covered in a professional code of conduct of IT professionals * Offers a pertinent discussion on civil liberties, harassment, and discrimination..

Customer Reviews:

A myriad of topics each discussed briefly.......2000-02-20

Excellent chapters covering morality, law, ethics, professional codes, and intellectual property rights. Provides a basic introduction to many topics that stimulate further study, research, and discussion. Discussion of social issues is limited. The weaker chapters are the modern areas of the information age such as cyberspace, the internet, email, privacy, security, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality.

Average customer rating:

Ethical Issues in Information Systems
Roy Dejoie , George Fowler , and David Paradice
Manufacturer: Boyd & Fraser Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0878355626

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